Ched Evans eases the tension for Wales manager John Toshack

Wales (1) 2 Liechtenstein (0) 0

The kids are all right ….scoring decisive goals and alleviating what would otherwise be awkward times for Wales and manager John Toshack. The Under-21s may have ended second best to England in their vital European Championship play-off the previous night but on senior duty there is no holding the young bloods back.

David Edwards and Ched Evans plundered the goals that helped Wales draw a veil over the embarrassment of another missed penalty — their third in successive games. At 22 and 20 they are being thrust into the limelight because their team-mates with significantly more miles on the clock are failing to find the killer touch. It was the same here against Azerbaijan last month when it was left to 18-year-old Sam Vokes to push his country into winning territory against Azerbaijan.

So Toshack’s men have maximum points from their first two home games which would ordinarily be a cause for celebration. Except that the opposition has been two of Europe’s small-beer nations. Liechtenstein were derided by one observer — Wolves manager Mick McCarthy — as no more than a pub team before the start but that’s no excuse for Wales to produce football of a very ordinary brew - lacking fizz and leaving a bitter aftertaste - when a hatful of goals was there for the taking.

Craig Bellamy, back after an absence of 12 months, was eager to make up for lost time and with only two minutes on the clock he unleashed a shot which Peter Jehle pushed onto the bar.

It should have been a routine take for the goalkeeper but thereafter he excelled, two stirring saves denying Bellamy a productive return for his country. But after Gareth Bale had been upended, the West Ham striker made a gift of his penalty attempt and Jehle was barely stretched in making the stop.

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That came three minutes after Edwards had broken through, the Wolves midfielder arriving late to convert Davies’ pull-back for his first senior goal. Evans replaced Vokes and just when it looked like another poor Cardiff crowd would have to make do with a second 1-0 scrape it was his header that found its way into the net following a deflection off Mario Frick.

“It was tense until the second goal went in,” admitted Toshack who’s team will expect a contrasting examination in Germany on Wednesday. “But no one can doubt that the better team won.”